Hollywood in the Trump Era: Conservatives Not Welcome
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| Larry Elder |
There are some outspoken nonliberals in Hollywood. Self-described “libertarian” Clint Eastwood comes to mind. But the list is short. A month before the 2016 election, I met a young actress at a party. She just arrived in Los Angeles from Michigan and excitedly told me about a meeting scheduled the following morning with one of the major agencies in Hollywood, an agency she hoped would represent her. For an actor, getting an agent — especially with one of the major firms — is a huge accomplishment. Later at the party, I overhead the actress say something about voting for Donald Trump by absentee ballot. I wasn’t sure I heard her correctly, so I quietly asked her if she voted for Trump. She said yes. I advised her not to mention this, under any circumstances, at her meeting the next day. She was surprised, and I was just as surprised at her naivete. “This place hates Republicans,” I said, “and hates Donald Trump to a degree I’ve never seen.”
A few days later, the host of the party told me that actress called her and asked her to thank me for the warning about not sharing her politics with the agency. The actress said that for the first 10 minutes of the meeting, three agents completed one another’s sentences about Trump, calling him degenerate, racist, sexist, idiotic and other things not printable.
How hostile is Hollywood toward Republicans? Consider this recent letter I received from a well-known, prominent and successful Hollywood conservative:
“Hi, Larry.
“I hope you’re doing well. Something happened yesterday, and when it did, I immediately thought of you. It wasn’t about you, but it puts a spotlight on some of what you talk about all the time.
“I was attending an entertainment industry meeting yesterday, at a very high level, and when it was over, I ran into a friend of mine who just happened to be in the same building at that time. I hadn’t seen him for quite a while. He’s an industry veteran whose career has spanned at least 30 years.
“In the past, whenever we met, for lunch or just to talk, we always discussed politics. He’s a staunch conservative, and he is extremely well-versed on the issues facing this country and on the people who play significant roles in our government. He has always been very outspoken, proud of his affiliation and always willing to debate a Democrat or liberal on the facts and the lies. He’s very good at arguing, and, like you, he has instant-access statistics that are stored in his head.
“Yesterday, when I bumped into him in a common area in the offices, I gave him a hug and asked him what he thought of the Democratic debates. He kind of shrugged. No comment. Then I showed him a website on my phone that gives the betting odds of who will win the primary and who will win the general election. He looked at it, but again, no comment. I told him that I hoped Bernie would win the nomination, because I’d love to see American voters have to make a choice between prosperity and bankruptcy. He nodded, but that was pretty much it.
“I gave him a hug and said goodbye. By the time I reached my car outside, he had already texted me twice. He apologized for not taking an active role in the discussion and said that there were people present in the office cubicles nearby, and he didn’t want to have to argue with them after that, or be treated differently at the office because he said anything that could be interpreted as pro-Trump. He said he had to protect his job, and that he really couldn’t risk talking to me.
“That’s Hollywood.
“The tolerant people who love everybody will destroy you if you disagree with them. It’s ridiculous and scary, but it’s real, and I doubt most people outside of LA would believe to what extent. You could be a criminal or an illegal alien or a Palestinian terrorist, and they would leap to your defense and support your rights. But g-d forbid you’re a Republican or a Trump supporter. You’re the enemy, and they’re blatantly against you and proud of it.
“That’s all. This is the world I work in every day, and it’s disgusting. I grew up in a country where people, even total strangers, would say that they might disagree with my opinions, but they would fight to the death to defend my right to speak my mind. Those days are gone. Apparently, now they would fight to the death to keep me from talking.
“I just thought you’d want to hear this.”
Welcome to Hollywood in Trump’s America.
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Larry Elder (@larryelder) is a best-selling author and radio talk-show host, an American lawyer, writer and radio and television personality who is also known as the "Sage From South Central." To find out more about Larry Elder. Visit his website at LarryElder.com for list of other articles.
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